Senator Samuel W. Bell
Member, Senate Committee on Commerce
Samuel W. Bell is a Democrat representing District 5 (Providence) in the
Rhode Island Senate. District Five contains the neighborhoods of Mount Pleasant,
Elmhurst, Federal Hill, Valley, and the northern portion of the West End.
Sen. Bell grew his roots as an activist after the horrific shooting in
Newtown, CT, advocating for sensible gun legislation. Because of his
investigation, the NRA was forced to pay the second largest campaign fine in
state history due to their illegal actions. Sen. Bell was elected to the
Senate in 2018.
During his time in the General Assembly, Sen. Bell has
been an active voice on a wide range of issues. He has vigorously opposed
Medicaid cuts and championed their repeal. He championed the successful
initiative to repeal the authorization for Medicaid to charge co-pays. He
has sponsored legislation seeking to create a Medicare for All system for
Rhode Island, providing high-quality healthcare for free to all Rhode
Islanders. Along with other members of the Providence delegation, he
successfully advocated for the repeal of the 2021 cuts to Providence's state
aid, cuts he vocally opposed at the time. Sen. Bell has also worked on
improving, professionalizing, and streamlining government processes. For
instance, his successful legislation to eliminate the need for a special
bill to update corporate charter paperwork that has lapsed for less than 20
years.
In his other professional life, Sen. Bell is a geologist. He
earned a Bachelor's Degree in Astronomy and Geology from Amherst College; a
Master's Degree in Geosciences from Brown University; and a Ph.D. in Earth,
Environmental, and Planetary Science from Brown University. He works as a
geologist with the Planetary Science Institute.
Sen. Bell is married
to Samantha Weiser, and they have a son, Jacob. Born with interstitial lung
disease and requiring oxygen since birth, Jacob grows bigger and stronger
every day. His parents love him very much. Sen. Bell and his family live in
Mount Pleasant, Providence.
Sen. Bell can be reached at his personal
email, swbell11@gmail.com, as well as his personal phone, (401) 680-0725.
You can also email his legislative address, sen-bell@rilegislature.gov.